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Probation expected for NY babysitter

A Westchester County woman is expected to get probation after pleading guilty to endangering a child who died at her illegal home daycare. WAMC’s Dave Lucas reports.

The Journal News says Maria Villaloja of Ossining will be sentenced Oct. 31. She pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor last Thursday.

Charges against her husband were dismissed in May. Prosecutors said he was not home when the April 2011 tragedy occurred.

Prosecutors said the sleeping baby apparently suffocated after pulling a blanket over her head. Monica Yunga was 5 months old. Monica was one of seven babies in the apartment.

Authorities say the couple previously had been warned about providing unlicensed childcare.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

 

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.